Movie review: Jolie and Pfeiffer lock horns in ‘Maleficent’

Dana Barbuto More Content Now

Wednesday

Oct 16, 2019 at 11:13 AMOct 16, 2019 at 11:15 AM

The best part of “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” is watching Angelina Jolie and Michelle Pfeiffer chew scenery with equal amounts of vamp and camp as feuding villainesses. Who glowers better? Well, it’s close, but Jolie wins. She has the horns, wings and cheekbones able to slice glass. She’s the title character, back for another go at a reheated (“Snow White-ish”) fairytale about love conquering all.

Joachim Ronning (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”) directs a script by Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster and Linda Woolverton, who wrote the original 2014 hit. When we catch up with Maleficent, she’s angry about the pending nuptials between her adopted daughter Queen Aurora (Elle Fanning) and Prince Phillip (Harris Dickinson). It’s a marriage that will unite the fairy and human kingdoms, which Phillip’s icy mother, Queen Ingrith (Pfeiffer), supports, but for selfish motives. Talk about a monster-in-law.

As Aurora, Fanning is all flowing blonde hair and gauzy dresses. She dreams of harmony and believes “we must all learn a little kindness.” On the flipside, Maleficent, aka the “Killer of Men” and “Destroyer of Armies,” is ready to do battle with the humans threatening her lands and kidnapping her woodland sprites. With steely green eyes and blood-red lips, she means business. But Aurora is her soft spot and Maleficent is insecure about her mothering. You know disaster awaits as soon as she agrees to a meet-the-in-laws dinner. During the meal, Jolie and Pfeiffer lock horns and square off with passive-aggressive insults: “Aurora will finally get the love of a real family,” the Queen snarls. It’s the movie’s reimagining of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” - and the glorious oneupmanship is all too fleeting. The script separates Maleficent from much of the ensuing fray and the movie suffers for it.

Aside from Jolie and Pfeiffer, the strongest moments arrive via supporting players such as Lesley Manville, Juno Temple and Imelda Staunton as comical fairies. Returning is Sam Riley as Maleficent’s raven-turned-human right-hand man, and Ed Skrein (six-pack ab alert!) and Chiwetel Ejiofor occupy a secondary - and distracting - plotline in the world of the “dark fae,” where Maleficent retreats to rediscover her roots.

The script is full of double-crosses, changes of heart, secret rooms, curses and forbidden love. But, alas, before you can say, “Shakespeare,” we get half-baked themes of love, politics, genocide and war. The movie certainly has its zingers and some laughs scattered about to keep it bopping along. That is until a you-saw-it-coming conclusion in which every conflict is tidied up far too neatly.

Dana Barbuto may be reached at dbarbuto@patriotledger.com or follow her on Twitter @dbarbuto_Ledger.